Where It Happens: Tropical Edition (Take 2!)

We finally have our stuff and are feeling settled with everything unpacked and the pictures up on the walls. This move has taken us a lot longer than usual to reach this point, and we are all glad to be here!

The Study

It's math time! Bug works on Khan Academy, while Lion
creates a set of flash cards for the 3x table. 

While the house itself is smaller than our last one, the study is bigger, and the girls and I are enjoying the elbow room. We'll have to work hard to keep this very lived in space from becoming its usual crowded mess--it's right inside the front door!

The Kitchen

We have a fantastically big kitchen! This is where the science projects and lots of life skills lessons happen. Perhaps my favorite thing about this kitchen though is that we have wall space to hang the massive painting! (Painted by a co-worker of Daddy's back in Philadelphia, it usually gets relegated to the stairs because nowhere else is big enough.) Also, this kitchen has so much cabinet space that we were able to put a bunch of books and games in the last set of cabinets near the window.

Yes, that's another bookshelf and a printer in the kitchen.
"You know you're a home schooler if . . . "

The Lanai

We love this outdoor living room space! I frequently spend a daily quiet time out here, the girls enjoy this location for teatime, and we've even taken our family lessons out here.

Recently, we also invited the G girls (across the street neighbors with 3 little girls + a baby boy) to join us for a "formal" tea. My girls had a great time planning the menu (iced watermelon green tea, crustless cucumber sandwiches, diced strawberries, and chocolate chip mug cake) and getting everything ready (arranging the lanai for sufficient serving and seating space, gathering the right number of plates, cups, etc.). They did a great job, and everybody had fun! I think this will be a repeat event!

The Living Room

The furniture all fits--including four bookshelves and a china cabinet! And we did manage to create two cozy seating areas. The blue couches definitely get more use. This is where we do family lessons, read alouds, and lunch time TV viewing. (We're currently watching Spirit and Trollhunters.) It's also Monkey's preferred location for completing her independent lessons--it's comfier and tends to be quieter than the study.

The Closet under the Stairs
When the girls realized just how huge this closet was, Monkey asked if we could fit one of the extra chairs in there and declare it an "alone time space." It's just right!

The Girls' Bedroom

They decided the "triple bunk double L" arrangement would give them the most floor space, and by putting one dresser inside the closet, they even have room for a butterfly chair. We also removed the closet door, which definitely helped open up the space.

The Playroom

The playroom is looking so grown up! The play kitchen and workbench have been removed to storage, and musical instruments and bookshelves have taken their place. The girls are enjoying the new set up, but they're already discussing how best to keep our littlest friends off the instruments when we have playdates!